Method and apparatus for network to recommend best mode for user communication

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure generally provides techniques and apparatuses for producing, for an initiating end user, a recommended mode of communication corresponding to a targeted end user in a network environment, based on a plurality of network accessible or determinable inputs. For example, the identity of an initiating end user, the identity of a targeted end user, the current activity of the targeted end user, the communication preferences of the targeted end user, information from available databases and other available or determinable data may be used by a contact liaison to produce a recommended mode of communication.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/240,832 filed Sep. 29, 2008, which is incorporated herein byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to networktechnology.

BACKGROUND

In most organizations there is a frequent need to communicate withothers within the organization. When trying to reach a person, theperson initiating the communication (an initiating end user) often wantsto communicate in a manner (or mode of communication) that has the bestprobability of reaching the targeted individual. Further, sinceday-to-day schedules are usually busy and targeted individuals mayfrequently be in meetings, the initiating end user may want thecommunication to be minimally intrusive with respect to a targeted enduser.

Unfortunately, without intimate knowledge of the day-to-day schedule ofthe targeted end user, the person initiating the communication may notknow the best mode of communication to use in reaching the targeted enduser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentdisclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description,briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, someof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted,however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodimentsand are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope of thepresent disclosure or claims presented herein.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a network accessed by various modesof communication, in which embodiments of the present disclosure may beutilized.

FIG. 2 illustrates elements used in generating a recommended mode ofcommunication, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates example considerations made by a contact liaison ingenerating a recommended mode of communication, in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4A-C illustrate examples of different situations in which atargeted end user may be found and the varying recommendations that maybe generated as a result, in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS Overview

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method forproviding a recommended mode of communication for contacting a targetedend user. The method generally includes monitoring network activities ofa plurality of end users, determining one or more parameters indicatinga state of a targeted end user based on the monitored networkactivities, selecting at least one recommended mode of communication,from a set of communication modes including at least one mode ofcommunication that utilizes the network, based on the state of thetargeted end user as indicated by the parameters, and providing, to arequesting end user, the at least one recommended mode of communicationfor contacting the targeted end user.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatusproviding a recommended mode of communication for contacting a targetedend user. The apparatus generally includes means for means formonitoring network activities of a plurality of end users, means fordetermining one or more parameters indicating a state of a targeted enduser based on the monitored network activities, means for selecting atleast one recommended mode of communication, from a set of communicationmodes including at least one mode of communication that utilizes thenetwork, based on the state of the targeted end user as indicated by theparameters, and means for providing, to a requesting end user, the atleast one recommended mode of communication for contacting the targetedend user.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer readablemedium containing a program which, when executed by a processor,performs operations, for recommending a mode of communication forcontacting a targeted end user. The computer readable medium generallystores a program providing operations for monitoring network activitiesof a plurality of end users, determining one or more parametersindicating a state of a targeted end user based on the monitored networkactivities, selecting at least one recommended mode of communication,from a set of communication modes including at least one mode ofcommunication that utilizes the network, based on the state of thetargeted end user as indicated by the parameters, and providing, to arequesting end user, the at least one recommended mode of communicationfor contacting the targeted end user.

The present disclosure generally provides techniques and apparatuses forproducing, for an initiating end user, a recommendation regarding one ormodes of communication through which to contact a targeted end user in anetwork environment, based on a plurality of network accessible ordeterminable inputs. For example, the identity of an initiating enduser, the identity of a targeted end user, the current activity of thetargeted end user, the communication preferences of the targeted enduser, information from available databases and other available ordeterminable data may be used by a contact liaison to produce arecommended mode of communication.

In most organizations there is a frequent need to communicate withothers within the organization. When trying to reach a person, theperson initiating the communication (an initiating end user) often wantsto communicate in a manner (or mode of communication) that has the bestprobability of reaching the targeted individual. Further, sinceday-to-day schedules are usually busy and targeted individuals mayfrequently be in meetings, the initiating end user may want thecommunication to be minimally intrusive with respect to a targeted enduser.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure may allow a networkto receive a request seeking a recommended mode through which tocommunicate and to generate a response recommending an appropriate modeof communication based on a number of factors. For example, therecommendation may be based on the initiating end user, the targeted enduser, the current activity of the targeted end user, and other availableor determinable data resources.

In the following, reference is made to embodiments of the disclosure.However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is notlimited to specific described embodiments. Instead, any combination ofthe following features and elements, whether related to differentembodiments or not, is contemplated to implement and practice thetechniques presented herein. Furthermore, in various embodiments, thedisclosure provides numerous advantages over the prior art. However,although particular embodiments may achieve advantages over otherpossible solutions and/or over the prior art, whether or not aparticular advantage is achieved by a given embodiment is not limitingof the present disclosure. Thus, the following aspects, features,embodiments and advantages are merely illustrative and are notconsidered elements or limitations of the appended claims except whereexplicitly recited in a claim(s).

An Exemplary Network Architecture

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a network 100, in which embodimentsof the present disclosure may be utilized. As illustrated, the network100 may contain, among other things, a contact liaison 150 for producinga recommended mode of communication corresponding to a targeted end userin a network environment. The contact liaison 150 may make decisionsbased on data from a network communication observation database 152,other available databases 154 and other available data resources.

The network 100 may be accessed by a plurality of possible modes ofcommunication depending on the location of an end user and the availablehardware. For example, the network may be accessed by a phone 112,desktop computer 114, laptop computer 134, or by any other appropriatedevice known by those skilled in the art.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, an initiating end user mayaccess the network 100 through an available mode of communication (i.e.,a phone 112 or computer 114). In accessing the network, the initiatingend user may send a request to the contact liaison 150 seeking arecommendation on the best mode or modes through which to contact atargeted end user. The recommendation generated by the contact liaisonmay be based on the identity of the initiating end user, the identity ofthe targeted end user, the location of the targeted end user (e.g., at awork station 120, elsewhere on campus 130, or off site 140), the currentactivity of the targeted end user, the modes of communication availableto the targeted end user (e.g., phone 112, computer 114, laptop, 134, orcell phone 142), as well as other useful data available to ordeterminable by the contact liaison 150.

FIG. 2 illustrates the type of elements which may be considered by thecontact liaison 150 when generating a recommended mode of communication220. For example, the identity of the initiating end user 202 and theidentity of the targeted end user 204 may be relevant with respect tothe availability of certain modes of communication. In a managed network(i.e., a network maintained by a specific organization), the network maydetermine the identity of the initiating end user 202 or targeted enduser 204 by examining an IP address. For example, the network may gleanthe identity of the end users from the implementation of a NetworkAdmission Control (NAC) application, 0.1x authentication protocol or byany other method known to those skilled in the art.

In some instances, one or more modes of communication may not beavailable to the initiating end user based on the organizational role ofthe initiating end user and the role of the targeted end user. Forexample, a test and verification engineer may be prohibited fromcontacting his manager via the manager's cell phone when the manager ison vacation. Consequently, the recommended mode of communication 220derived by the contact liaison 150 may vary based on the identity of theinitiating end user 202 and the identity of the targeted end user 204.Organizational roles and other relevant data may be obtained from avariety of available databases 154 connected to the network. Any of thisdata may be considered by the contact liaison 150 in generating arecommended mode of communication 220.

In some embodiments the contact liaison 150 may consider the currentactivity 208 of the targeted end user and the location of the targetedend user 210 in deriving the recommended mode of communication 220. Forexample, if the targeted end user is actively connected to the networkthrough a computer 114 at his or her workstation and reading anddrafting emails, the contact liaison 150 may recommend communicatingwith the targeted end user via email before trying to reach the targetedend user with some type of an instant message (commonly referred to asan “IM”), or other type of text message. In contrast, if the targetedend user is connected via an IP associated with a laptop in a conferenceroom, and the volume of traffic exchanged between the user and thenetwork is low, the targeted end user may be in a meeting and thechances of reaching the targeted end user via e-mail may be low.Accordingly, the contact liaison 150 may recommend communicating withthe targeted end user via an instant message before trying email.

Additionally, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may enablethe definition of restricted zones in which the contact liaison 150 maynot recommend certain modes of communication, for example, when thetargeted user is in a particular location. For example, if the targetedend user is a surgeon, an operating room or an emergency room may beclassified as a restricted zone in which the contact liaison may notrecommend instant messaging or email as a recommended mode ofcommunication or may not recommend any type of communication at all.

The contact liaison 150 may be able to determine the location and thecurrent activity of the targeted end user 208 by deep packet inspectionperformed by network routers, switches, or other network hardwarethrough which data traffic passes. For example, a router may look at therequesting IP address of data packets sent by the targeted end user todetermine his or her location. Further, the contact liaison 150 mayinversely employ a domain name system (DNS) to determine the domain nameassociated with the IP address with which web traffic is being exchangedwhen determining the current activity level of the targeted end user. Inshort, the network 100 may determine the location and the activity levelof the targeted end user 208 based on the requesting IP address, volumeof traffic generated, and the specific application that is active.

In determining a targeted end user's activity, the network 100 mayobserve a variety of communication behaviors. For example, as describedabove, the network may observe who communicates with whom, how often,the mode of communication between those communicating (e.g., voice overinternet protocol (VoIP), instant message, email, etc.), the location ofthose communicating (e.g., at a workstation, from a conference room,from home via a virtual private network (VPN), etc.), the currentactivity of the targeted end user at the time of communication (e.g.,utilizing video on demand (VoD), emailing co-workers, sending instantmessages to friends, etc.), as well as other useful behaviors known bythose skilled in the art. The network 100 may store and maintain saidobservations in the Network Communication Observation Database 152.

Additionally, the network may observe the success of a given mode ofcommunication previously suggested (feedback at 222) with respect to thecontext (i.e., the targeted end user, the location of the targeted enduser, the time of day, the current activity of the targeted end user,identity of initiating end user, etc.) of the previous recommendation.Since these observations may be useful in predicting future responses ofthe targeted end users, the network may record the observations in aNetwork Communication Observation Database 152 and utilize theobservations when making future recommendations on modes ofcommunication 220.

Moreover, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the targetedend user may have a means by which to enter personal preferences 206with respect to recommended modes of communication. For example, thetargeted end user may be able to indicate that he or she does not wishto be contacted while on vacation unless it is by his or her manager.The preferences may allow the targeted end user to specify preferredmodes of communication, limitations to be applied to certain initiatingend user or limitations to be applied when the targeted end user is at acertain location. For example, a user may be able to specify or define arestricted zone, wherein the contact liaison will recommend only certainmodes of communication or no communication at all.

Furthermore, the preferences may allow certain end users to completelyopt out such that recommended modes of communication are not generatedwhen he or she is the targeted end user. However, certain embodiments ofthe present disclosure may provide the ability for an end user toconditionally opt out for a period of time based on user selectableparameters or conditions. For example, a targeted end user mayconditionally opt out based on his or her location (e.g., by specifyinga restricted zone as described above), the time of day, or any otheruser selectable parameter known by those skilled in the art.Accordingly, the contact liaison 150 may consider the targeted enduser's preferences 206 when deriving the recommended mode ofcommunication 220.

FIG. 3 illustrates example operations 300 which may be used by thecontact liaison 150, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.The algorithm begins at 310 with the contact liaison 150 receiving arequest over the network 100 for a recommendation for a mode throughwhich to contact a targeted end user. The request may be generated by anapplication installed on a computer or any other device capable ofaccessing the network 100 operated by the initiating end user. Forexample, the initiating end user may launch an application and enter anend user as a target. In response, the contact liaison 150 may generatea recommendation for a mode through which to contact the targeted enduser.

In certain embodiments, the contact liaison 150 may proactively generatethe recommendation for a communication mode through which to contact thetargeted end user in response to the transmission or reception of acommunication by the initiating end user (e.g., without receiving anexplicit request for a recommendation). For example, an initiating enduser may send a targeted end user an instant message or other type oftext message. Prior to the delivery of the instant message to thetargeted end user, the contact liaison 150 may determine if an instantmessage is the optimal method of communication. If the contact liaison150 determines instant messaging is the optimal mode of communication,the instant message may be delivered to the targeted end user. However,if instant messaging is a sub-optimal method of communication (e.g., thetargeted end user is actively engaged with an email application) thecontact liaison 150 may proactively generate a message for theinitiating end user describing the situation and recommending a methodof communication with a higher probability of reaching the targeted enduser (e.g., contacting the targeted end user via an email).

In generating a recommendation for a mode through which to contact thetargeted end user, the contact liaison 150 may determine if the targetedend user is connected to the network 320. If not, the contact liaisonmay recommend, at 322, calling the targeted end user's cell phone. Thecontact liaison 150 may recommend this if the targeted end user has hisor her preferences set allowing such a recommendation. The contactliaison 150 may also recommend the initiating end user contact thetargeted end user via email. The liaison may recommend emailing thetargeted end user if the targeted end user regularly travels with alaptop or may check his or her email in a timely manner. However, thecontact liaison 150 may recommend to the initiating end user not tocontact the targeted end user. The contact liaison 150 may determinethat the targeted end user is on vacation, is somewhere in which he orshe does not have access to the network (e.g., in a meeting with aRegional Director without a laptop), or is somewhere where a giveninitiating end user is restricted from contacting the targeted end user(e.g., at home having dinner with his or her family).

If the targeted end user is connected to the network, the contactliaison 150 may further seek to determine if the targeted end user is ina meeting 330. The network may determine if the targeted end user is ina meeting by checking a publicly accessible calendar of the targeted enduser, determining the location at which the targeted end user isconnected to the network, or by any other means known by those skilledin the art.

If the targeted end user is not in a meeting, the contact liaison 150may observe his or her activity level, location, and other parameterspreviously mentioned and generate a list of recommended contact modes,as illustrated at 332. Since the targeted end user is not believed to bein a meeting, the contact liaison may give more weight to a mode ofcommunication with a higher probability of success. In some embodiments,the contact liaison 150 may place the recommended contact modes in alist of decreasing priority, such that the initiating end user may seemode most recommended at the top of the list.

However, if the targeted end user is in a meeting, the contact liaison150 may generate a list based on similar observations but give moreweight to modes of communication with a lower intrusive impact on thetargeted end user. Consequently, the list of recommended contact modes,listed in decreasing priority, may have a different order when comparedto the list of recommended contact modes generated at times when thetargeted end user is not in a meeting, as illustrated at 334.

FIGS. 4A-C illustrate examples of different situations in which atargeted end user may be found and the varying recommendations that maybe generated as a result. For example, FIG. 4A illustrates a contactliaison 150 receiving a recommendation request 402 and finding thetargeted end user at his or her desk, on the phone with the computeractively connected to the network. As a result, the contact liaison 150may decide against recommending calling the targeted end user becausethat mode would be too intrusive. Instead, the contact liaison 150 maynotice that the computer is active and may determine there is areasonable probability that the targeted end user would respond to anelectronic communication over the computer. Accordingly, the contactliaison 150 may respond with a message 404 recommending the initiatingend user first try contacting the targeted end user by sending aninstant message because it is quicker and usually pops up on the screenthen try contacting the targeted end user via email because the messagewill remain until the targeted end user acknowledges it.

In contrast, FIG. 4B illustrates the contact liaison 150 receiving arecommendation request 402 and finding the targeted end user in ameeting with a laptop actively connected to the network. Accordingly,the contact liaison 150 may place greater importance on minimizing theintrusive impact on the targeted end user and send a message 404recommending contacting the targeted end user via email before sendingan instant message. However, if the initiating end user happens to be asupervisor of the targeted end user, the contact liaison 150 may alsorecommend calling the conference room in which the meeting is beingheld. Though calling the conference room is extremely intrusive, therelationship between the role of the initiating end user and the role oftargeted end user may be such as to warrant a very intrusive mode ofcontact.

In some instances, the contact liaison 150 may receive a recommendationrequest 402 and find that the targeted end user is off site and onvacation, as illustrated in FIG. 4C. In such instances, the contactliaison 150 may refer to the targeted end user's preferences and givesignificant consideration to the targeted end user's desire, forexample, not to be contacted. As a result, the contact liaison 150 maygenerate a message 404 recommending the initiating end user not tocontact the targeted end user. Instead, the contact liaison 150 mayrecommend the initiating end user contact an alternate end user.

In some embodiments, the alternate end user suggested by the contactliaison 150 may be selectable by the targeted end user prior to leaving(e.g., similar to an automated “out of office” response provide byemail). However, the alternate end user suggested by the contact liaison150 may also be determined by the contact liaison based on the positionof the targeted end user in the organization. For example, the alternateend user suggested by the contact liaison 150 may be the immediatesupervisor of the targeted end user.

If, however, the role of the initiating end user is sufficientlyimportant or the targeted end user has made an exception for theinitiating end user in his or her preferences, the contact liaison 150may provide modes of contacting the targeted end user giving priority toless intrusive modes of communication.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the presentdisclosure, other and further embodiments of the disclosure may bedevised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scopethereof is determined by the claims that follow. For example, though theforegoing describe embodiments of the present disclosure with respect tomethods which may be performed, the various operations of methodsdescribed above may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, orany combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions maybe stored as one or more instructions on a computer-readable medium. Astorage media may be any available media that can be accessed by acomputer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readablemedia can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or anyother medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code inthe form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed bya computer.

1. A method comprising: monitoring network activities of a plurality ofend users; determining one or more parameters indicating a state of atargeted end user based on the monitored network activities; selectingat least one recommended mode of communication, from a set ofcommunication modes including at least one mode of communication thatutilizes the network, based on the state of the targeted end user asindicated by the parameters; and providing, to a requesting end user,the at least one recommended mode of communication for contacting thetargeted end user.